NDTV—[14 MAY 2017] Muslim-American Woman Allegedly Thrown Out of US Bank for Wearing a Hijab

Jamela Mohamed went to a branch of Sound Credit Union in Washington state on Friday to make a car payment.

Highlights

Jamela Mohamed, recorded the incident on her cellphone

The staff threatened to call the police if she did not ‘remove her hood’

The bank admitted the situation was not handled well and apologised

New York: A Muslim-American woman was allegedly thrown out of a bank in the US for ‘wearing a hijab’ – with the staff threatening to call the police if she did not ‘remove her hood’. Jamela Mohamed went to a branch of Sound Credit Union in Washington state on Friday to make a car payment.

Ms Mohamed, an American and a member of the credit union, recorded part of the incident on her mobile phone, claiming it shows blatant ‘discrimination’.

She said she had been wearing a sweater and had the hood up because it was a Friday, which is when Muslims offer weekly prayers in the afternoon. The teller asked Ms Mohamed to take off her hood. A sign inside the Credit Union says hats, hoods and sunglasses are not allowed, ABC-affiliated television station KOMO-TV reported.

Ms Mohamed said she was following the policy so she went to her car to grab her headscarf, or hijab. She went back in with her scarf, while still wearing her hood, the report said.

While she was waiting, Ms Mohamed says she took some video of the sign and of two male customers wearing baseball caps because they were being helped without any issues.

“Why am I witnessing a man being serviced with a hat on and I’m being told to take off my hood?” she asked.

“This is my hood. My face is showing and so I currently do have an issue today. I’m being polite, I’m complying. I simply stated that I just need to pay my car note today,” she said to a teller again.